Flow Battery Technology –Introduction

With the increasing need to store renewable energy, more people are relying on flow battery technology. Flow batteries, also known as redox batteries, are a reliable, flexible, safe source of energy that can offer long-duration energy storage.  If you are unaware of this technology then let us spell it out for you. Flow batteries are rechargeable batteries that convert chemical energy into electric energy. A flow battery, as the name suggests, is a battery in which two liquids flow side by side divided by a porous membrane. Both liquids have dissolved chemicals in them. When the ion transfer occurs through the porous membrane separating the liquids, the chemical energy is converted into electrical energy which can be used as a power source. In simple words, the battery works when it is allowed to charge and discharge through selective ion movement to complete the required chemical reaction while constantly flowing in tanks. 

The chemistries which are typically used to run flow batteries are iron-chromium, zinc-bromide, vanadium, zinc-ion, and zinc-cerium. The vanadium-infused batteries are most commonly used on large scales. 

The greatest difference between a conventional and a flow battery is that in the former the energy is stored in electrodes, whereas in the latter the energy is stored in the electrolyte. It can be used just like you use a fuel cell whereby you can extract the used fuel (chemicals infused liquid in this case) and add new fuel to gain the required electric power. Although, it is typically used as a rechargeable battery whereby you can regenerate energy through an external electric power source. 

The two chemical dissolved liquids flow in their respective tanks. So you can easily increase the electricity storage capability by installing giant electrolyte tanks. Flow batteries can be found in three categories including redox, membrane-less, and hybrid. 

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Flow batteries are so hyped because of the great advantages it offers to the consumers, like:

Discharge and recharge simultaneously

Long life cycle

Zero harmful emissions

Environment-friendly material usage

Durability

Can tolerate over-recharge and over-discharge

Zero noise pollution

Safe to use

Low self-discharge

Quick response time

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Flow Battery Technology Companies

The reliance on flow batteries has pushed many battery manufacturing companies to offer their version of flow batteries to their customers. The top companies that offer high-quality flow batteries to their customers include:

Enerox Gmbh- An Australian Company that sells vanadium flow batteries under the name “Cellcube”

Largo Inc.- based in Canada, this company offers various variants of vanadium flow batteries under the names “VPURE” VPURE+” “VCHARGE” and “VRFB based on clean energy”. 

Unienergy Technologies LLC- offers their flow batteries under the title of Reflex batteries to industries

ESS Tech Inc. – An American-based company that offers low-cost iron-flow batteries

Primus Power solution- offers low-cost, long-duration energy batteries to utility markets and commercial and industrial sectors.

SCHMID Group- offers a vanadium redox flow battery under the brand name SCHMID Everflow

Invinity energy systems- offer vanadium flow batteries for industrial, commercial, micro-grid, and grid-scale applications.

Flow Battery vs Lithium-ion

Both flow batteries and lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable energy sources. Though the inclination towards flow batteries is skyrocketing in past years, both batteries have their individuality and one can’t rule out the usage of the other. It depends upon your personal preference and energy requirement to choose the best fit among both these batteries. It is simply the trade-off of certain features that dictate which battery is better for your need. The main differences between these batteries are listed below:

Flow batteries are more costly as compared to lithium-ion batteries. This is because they have low charge and discharge rates due to which they need a large area to accompany chemical reactions.

The battery capacity of flow batteries does not degrade with time, unlike lithium-ion batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries are subject to fire risk due to the use of flammable material, whereas flow batteries do not involve any such risk because they don’t contain flammable materials.

Lithium-ion batteries cannot be fully discharged before they are set to recharging, whereas in flow batteries the discharging and recharging occur simultaneously so they can offer a constant supply of energy without any disruption.

In flow batteries, there are no issues of phase-to-phase chemical reactions like in lithium-ion batteries. This is why the lifespan of flow batteries is much higher comparatively. The ability to constant chemical reactions means you can use flow batteries up to unlimited battery cycles for around 30 years. Whereas the comparative lifespan of a lithium-ion battery is only 8 years. 

Lithium-ion batteries can offer high power density but that lasts for only a few hours (2 hours maximum). In comparison, although flow batteries offer small power density they can offer a consistent supply of power for up to 10 hours. 

Flow batteries use environmentally friendly materials like vanadium, whereas the materials used in lithium-ion batteries are not so eco-friendly.

Flow batteries are comparatively heavy and take up more space as compared to compact and portable lithium-ion batteries. This is because of the accompanying large tank carrying the liquids. 

Flow Batteries for Home Use

Residential buildings and homeowners are inclined towards using flow batteries in their homes. Many companies are now manufacturing vanadium flow batteries in bulk for home usage. Owing to their durability, zero degradation of power capacity, cost-effectiveness, and safety, these batteries are ideal for home usage. These batteries are convenient for homeowners as they need low maintenance and are capable to operate at low temperatures for both indoor and outdoor usage. 

One of the greatest benefits they offer to homeowners is low electricity cost. Homeowners can attach these batteries with solar panels to store electric energy when it's sunny and then use it later while paying the low cost for electric consumption. Homeowners can also attach these batteries to the local electric grid and store energy at lower rates to use in peak hours when energy cost is charged at a higher rate. This way they can reduce their overall electric consumption bill while enjoying an uninterrupted, reliable, and safe supply of electric power.